


Teletraan X

by GammaPrime



Series: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Artificial Intelligence, Creation, Sentience
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GammaPrime/pseuds/GammaPrime
Summary: A refurbished maintenance drone is fitted with a Teletraan-Class AI to study the development of sentience in artificial constructs.  This takes place before the Autobot/Decepticon war even begins, but there are still rumblings of social unrest.
Series: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060217
Kudos: 4
Collections: TRANSFORMERS CHRONICLES





	1. Birth of a Synth

Deep in the computer lab of the Iacon Hall of Science, a small red and silver femme with gold highlights tapped her finger on her workstation with nervous anticipation. This was an ambitious experiment that many of her colleagues questioned. To them, it seemed, at the very least, to be a pointless waste of resources. This young engineer remained undeterred though.

After staring at the progress bar on her workstation screen for a bit, the femme's optic gaze followed a wire running from her terminal to the back of what appeared to be a gray and gold mech's head. It wasn't anything too elaborate, though. It was just a refurbished maintenance drone with a custom paint job and a custom head that bore a more lifelike and expressive face than other machines of its kind. "Won't be long now," she said out loud while making contact with the drone's darkened optics.

"How's your little project coming, Vespa?" came the voice of a white mech with red and green accents, causing the smaller femme to tense up before spinning around to face him. "Oh! Hey, Wheeljack. Ya startled me a bit there."

"Sorry about that, kid. Sometimes, I forget how engrossed you get in your work."

"It's alright. The data transfer is..." Vespa glanced over at the screen before completing her sentence. "83% complete. So far, everything's goin' smooth as selenium steel."

"Sounds like it'll be coming online pretty soon then. Seeing as I'm not working on anything right now, I think I'll just stick around and watch the magic happen."

Vespa giggled at the older engineer's comment. "It's hardly magic, but I get what you're sayin'. Ye're the only bot who seems to be interested in what I'm doin' here."

"Anything that could help further our understanding of Synths is gonna grab my attention. The more we understand 'em, the better we can accommodate 'em. I've seen too many drones scrapped for exhibiting behaviors that could possibly indicate early-stage Emergence, rather than typical malfunctions."

"Me too," Vespa replied with a sigh. "I found this unit smashed up pretty badly at that scrap depot on the outskirts of Kaon."

"Must've been some gladiator's punching bag," Wheeljack commented.

"From the beatin' it took, I'd reckon it was Megatronus' personal sparrin' partner."

Wheeljack shuddered at the mention of Megatronus. By that time, the bot had gained a reputation as the most feared gladiator in Kaon, remaining undefeated in the Pit for several stellar cycles running. He'd often hear stories from patrons at Maccadam's Old Oil House about Megatronus' feats. He couldn't be sure how many were true and how many were either lies or exaggerations, but they all made this one gladiator sound like a bot no one would want to cross.

"Buncha thugs, those gladiators," Vespa said with a sigh as she watched her handiwork's optics flicker to life.

"Teletraan X is online," the drone announced as it rose to a standing position, causing the red femme to give an excited "Yes!" before clearing her throat and facing the drone. "I'm Vespa. I created you."

"Creator Vespa identified. What is your command?"

"Try movin' around a bit, just to make sure all yer motors're in workin' order."

Teletraan X nodded before making a series of random movements with its arms, hands, and head, causing Wheeljack to stifle a laugh. This caused the drone to suddenly stop in mid-motion.

"Unknown sound pattern detected. Please identify."

"That reminded me of some of the dances I'd see over-energized bots do at Maccadam's...No offense."

"Continue Over-Energized Maccadam's Dance?"

"Uhh...maybe not," Vespa replied. "I probably shoulda been more specific regardin' how to move, but I wanted to see what you'd do with minimal input."

"Hypothesis: Improvisation was required."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was. Ya did pretty good at that, X."

"Compliment received," X replied, its lips curving upward ever so slightly.

"Normally, Teletraan-class AI systems are programmed with a specific purpose, and are given foundational knowledge bases accordingly," Vespa explained. "X here doesn't have any of that. Aside from a language base, he's pretty much a blank slate."

"X is a variable," the drone stated, having accessed its language base. "X represents unknown value in mathematical equations." X tilted its head to the side before looking at its right hand. "Teletraan X Function: Variable?"

"Exactly!" Vespa chirped. "You could basically be whatever yer situation calls for. Ye're free to harness the full adaptability of a Teletraan system."

"Was your function predetermined, Creator Vespa?"

"No. No real bot's purpose is explicitly determined when they're forged...unless ya live in Kaon. Ye're the first synthetic construct to come online with as much potential for self-determination as a real bot. I chose to be a computer engineer and went about learnin' everything I needed to know about computers on my own."

"Why are Kaon bots' functions predetermined?"

"Kaon has the highest concentration of raw Energon," Wheeljack explained. "Furthermore, 95% of bots forged in Kaon have heavy frames that favor strength and durability, making them perfect for mining that Energon. Most drilling is done by drones, and most of them have about as much intelligence as my rear axle. They need somebot to tell 'em what to do. Mining drones are so dumb that they can't do all the menial tasks involved in mining either, so the bots of Kaon get stuck doing them." Wheeljack sighed. "Those bots are hardly more valued than the drones they work with. They're at the bottom rung of the social ladder, and they're given little opportunity to climb much higher....unless they get involved in The Games."

"Define 'The Games.'"

"Gladiatorial matches, X," Wheeljack grimly replied. "Two bots enter, only one bot leaves. The Games are actually illegal, but the worst elements of society keep them going. For the winners, The Games are extremely lucrative. The loser just ends up as spare parts, and rumor has it that those are salvaged and sold to the highest bidder. Worse still, not every one of those gladiators necessarily chose to be a gladiator. Some were forced into it by complaining about their lot in life or running afoul of the wrong bot."

X sat down in an empty chair and let this sink in. Logic would indicate that the Kaonians Wheeljack spoke of were living bots. "Is life to be valued?" the drone asked after a long pause.

"Yeah, it should be. Life should be valued in all its forms," Wheeljack answered with a sigh.

"How is life determined?"

Wheeljack pointed to his chest. "The Spark, X." he replied, his previously enthusiastic tone having completely faded away. "At least, that's how it's supposed to work, but that's not how it does, especially not for Kaonians."

"What happens...when a Kaonian attempts to...climb the ladder?" X inquired, remembering Wheeljack's social ladder analogy and seeming to understand it.

"They get knocked down...hard. One Kaonian, known as Gamma Veritus, seemed like he was on his way up. Instead of the gladiatorial arena, he chose the political. He made it all the way to the Senate, eventually serving long enough to try running for Prime. He could've won too, had Zeta Prime not rigged the election by having the records of Kaon's votes expunged. Gamma was then pushed out of the political world and driven back to Kaon, where he was dragged into a Game, which he lost."

"That would constitute being...knocked down hard," X concluded.

"The thing is...Teletraan Alpha began askin' too many questions when asked to expunge the data. His chief operator at the time, one Cogitus Ambus, bore witness. He came to the conclusion that Alpha didn't want to fulfill Zeta's request. Cogitus worked with Alpha for many stellar cycles by that point. He could see him evolvin' into somethin' more than just a computer. He seemed to be pickin' up on the traits of those he interacted with the most. Besides Cogitus himself, that would be Chief Archivist Orion Pax, an idealistic bot with a strong sense of justice. Both Cogitus and Orion tried to stop Alpha from being wiped for 'malfunctionin'', but not even Alpha Trion had the power to stop the wipe, even though he opposed it too."

"Life should be valued...in all its forms. Does life exist...without a Spark?"

"That's kinda what Alpha Trion said to Cogitus and Orion that day. He said, 'Life manifests in many forms, and its spark is not always tangible.' Cogitus and Orion took those words to Spark, and the former started a political movement to grant the rights of life to synthetic constructs like Teletraan Alpha. He believed that, prior to the wipe, Alpha had reached full sentience. He had completed the process of Emergence. He wasn't malfunctionin', he was alive. His life was just not manifested with a Spark."

"Teletraan Alpha...was...killed," X reasoned out loud, his voice trembling.

"Yeah, he was," Vespa confirmed. "Ya sound sad about that."

X put his hand to his own chest, mimicking Wheeljack's gesture when the engineer was explaining the Spark to him.

"I ain't lettin' you get wiped like that, X," Vespa promised, putting a hand on the Synth's shoulder. "Someday, Cogitus' dream'll come true. He's gonna fight for it even if it kills him."

"He should not die for his dream."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, X, but there are bots in high places who'll do anything to maintain the status quo."

"It's a broken system, X," Wheeljack sighed. "Every day, it breaks more." As he spoke, a loud explosion could be heard in the distance.

"Was that another break in the system?" X asked in reference to the explosion.

Vespa immediately called up a security video feed from her terminal, which revealed the source of the explosive sound. Bombs had been detonated at the base of a statue that stood at the entrance to the Hall of Science. This monument, which once bore the image of a majestic femme clutching a large hammer, soon began to crumble, its debris scattering every which way and injuring any bot who couldn't escape fast enough. "Sweet Solus Prime," Vespa muttered.

"Why was that statue destroyed?" X asked. "Who is Solus Prime?"

"Legend has it that she was one of the first thirteen Cybertronians to be forged. As such, she's a revered figure in modern society...well...most of it anyway," Wheeljack explained.

"Did that statue...represent her?"

"Yeah, it did," Vespa replied, both amazed by her creation's reasoning ability and outraged at the act of terror that had just occurred.


	2. Sacrificial Lamb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A terrorist attack on the Hall of Science has disrupted the peace of Teletraan X's birth. How will this young Synth react?

Outside, at the site of the explosion, a blue, white and gold mech cackled madly as he watched the chaos from the air. "Now THAT was a light show worthy of Megatronus!"

A black, white, and vermilion femme joined in his laughter on the roof behind him. "What do you say we topple the whole establishment, Triggerhappy?" she purred both flirtatiously and menacingly.

"I don't think the boss-bot set a limit on our fun, Fracture," Triggerhappy replied, his voice indicating that another cackling fit was coming on as he aimed for the Hall of Science itself. "Let's do it! Bombs away!" he cried gleefully before launching another explosive.

Fracture soon joined him, cackling madly herself as she jumped down from her place on the roof, creating a large, destructive shockwave when her feet made contact with the ground.

Back in the computer lab, meanwhile, Vespa, Wheeljack, and X grew nervous upon hearing the bang of this second, much closer explosion. "Looks like trashin' the Monument of Solus Prime wasn't enough fer these loose screws," the red femme grumbled before a second shockwave from Fracture knocked her off her feet.

"And Zeta Prime had the bearings to say Teletraan Alpha was malfunctioning for wanting to do the right thing," Wheeljack snarked as he pulled himself back up onto his feet. "Who's really malfunctioning here?"

"I would say...the Loose Screws," X replied, his lips involuntarily curving into a grin.

"Good one, X," Vespa complimented with a laugh.

"Smart kid," Wheeljack added as the ceiling above him began to give, threatening to bury him in rubble. Seeing this, X acted quickly, positioning himself in such a way as to be able to catch the falling debris when the ceiling finally began collapsing. "Stand aside," the Synth instructed while holding the largest piece of debris up.

Wheeljack and Vespa both complied, transforming into vehicle mode and driving away while X threw the scrap aside.

"Guess it's time to test yer T-Cog, X," Vespa called out. "Transform and roll out!"

X concentrated on his body. "Transform," he said softly to himself as his form folded in on itself until he resembled a compact gray ground vehicle. He then started his engine and rolled away in the same direction as his creator and her companion, accelerating until he caught up to them.

Vespa gave a sigh of relief when she saw her creation closing the distance between himself and her. "Good thing that Cog's workin'. I don't wanna lose ya."

"Me neither, X. You're a good kid."

This tender moment was interrupted by the crash of a large support beam falling just inches behind the trio, causing them all to accelerate to max speed to outrun the cascade of debris that followed as they made their way to the nearest exit. As they reached an open loading dock, though, another explosion shook the structure's frame apart, and it threatened to crush all three bots beneath it. X, who trailed a little behind his companions, quickly reverted to robot mode and caught the collapsing ceiling in his hands, his whole body groaning from the strain of supporting such a heavy weight. "Roll out," he instructed.

"X, What're ya doin'? Yer body can't hold that kinda weight fer long!" cried a panicked Vespa.

"I am...valuing life," he replied as sparks flew from his shoulders, waist, and knees. Both Vespa and Wheeljack stopped and turned around to see X's armor buckling from the stress. Moments later, his legs snapped at the knees, causing him to fall and drop the weight he held, which created a loud crunch as it crushed him.

"No! X!" Vespa screamed.

"I've never seen a maintenance drone sacrifice itself like that," observed an officer of the Cybertron Guardian Corps who had arrived in response to the attack. "It's not exactly in their programming."

"He...He wasn't just a maintenance drone, sir," Vespa tearfully corrected. "That was Project X."

"I heard about that," the black and white mech replied. "It was intended to study Synth Emergence, right?"

"Y-Yeah," the scarlet femme replied after transforming back to robot mode. "One observation I can clearly make right now is...they're capable of a lotta good...even at their own expense. No drone can defy self-preservation protocols."

"That's true, ma'am," the officer said with a heavy sigh. "X would've made a good Guardian it seems. I would've been honored to train him."

"Yeah, he would've," Wheeljack confirmed as a sobbing Vespa threw her helm onto his chest.

"Well, you two better roll out while we handle the two Decepticons who think knocking down monuments to the Thirteen and destroying centers of progress are fun and games," the officer advised. "I know I'm gonna be heading straight to Maccadam's when I'm done here. I could use the High-Grade."


End file.
